Saturday, January 12, 2013

Stuffed Green Bell Pepper Recipe

Hey everyone! I wanted to share a recipe with you.  Last night I made my hubby and I a treat since we are starting our 3 day detox by juicing today.  No solid foods for 3 whole days. EEK!!

Anyway, the stuffed peppers were a hit with my husband. We each had one and couldn't even finish it. I'm saving the other 2 stuffed peppers for a later time by freezing them. This is a great recipe for all those great green peppers that are harvested from the garden. The stuffed peppers freeze well and can be put in a lunch box to defrost for lunch (You would have to microwave to warm up obviously).

 Green Bell Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients: 

  • 4 big green bell peppers
  • 1 pound of chopped beef or chopped turkey
  • 2 cups of Instant Rice (Or whatever rice you would like. I used Minute Rice because of time and laziness)
  • 1 chopped onion
  • 1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
  • salt and pepper
  • Parmesan cheese or bread crumbs to sprinkle on top. I used cheese. 
  • You'll need a frying pan and a baking dish.
Recipe: Make rice and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Clean pepper and cut across the top of the pepper (Do not throw away top). Remove seeds from pepper.  With the top of the pepper remove the stem and chop up the remaining part of the top of the pepper. Chop up an onion.  Saute chopped pepper and chopped onion until soft. Add in chopped meat and stir together until chopped meat is browned. Add 3/4 of a can of crushed tomato to pan along with the rice. Season with salt and pepper. Saute and stir for 3-4 minutes.  Remove from heat. Take remaining 1/4 of crushed tomato and spread on the bottom of the baking pan. Fill up peppers to the top with the meat and rice.  Sprinkle cheese or bread crumbs on top.  Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes. Enjoy!! 


To Freeze: Place peppers on a baking sheet and put in freezer. When peppers are frozen put peppers into freezer bag to store in freezer.

Hope you try them out. They were so delicious and filling. Any questions please feel free to leave a comment and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. 

Have a great week,
Jess

 Weekend Bloggy Reading

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Working on me.

My stinky sneakers.
You might be wondering why I would post a picture of my sneakers, right? Well, I made a decision to work on me after nursing school. I want to take care of me. I gained some weight while in nursing school but I was overweight to begin with so I can't blame being overweight and unhealthy on nursing school.

Still going with the change mantra for 2013! This pic can be purchased on etsy here.
I have been slowly incorporating a veggies and fruits into my diet. I go to the gym everyday with my daughter (love her because she gives me dirty looks when I complain). My body is in tons of pain. I'm having a love/hate relationship with the pain and the gym. I know that in order for my body to become strong I will have to endure some pain. I love those endorphin's! I feel so energized and my mood is pleasant. My husband loves it. LOL.  I've actually been following a lot of workout plans that are found on Pinterest. Check out my workout board here. I have been doing a lot of exercises I have not done in the past. I am getting off of the treadmill and pumping iron with the boys.

 We plan on buying a juicer this week so we can start to juice fruits and veggies. I'm so excited! If I find any tasty recipes I promise to share them. My husband and I watched two interesting movies on Netflix called Hungry for Change and Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.  It was rather interesting to learn about  how food works in our bodies and the importance of eating well and exercise. If you have the opportunity to watch either one or both do so. I have an understanding of most of what was discussed in both movies but my husband who is not a diet nut or a nurse does not.  My husband learned about the dangers of diet soda. No matter how much I tell him that it is not calorie free and really not good for him he had to hear it from someone else. My husband is a diabetic and thinks he can drink diet soda and it won't affect his blood glucose. I think he was in denial for a long time. I pray that he makes a commitment to himself to take care of himself too.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great week! 

Jess


Friday, January 4, 2013

Word of the Year 2013

Last year I assigned the word "check" as the word of the year. I felt that 2012 would be a year of checking things off my list of assignments, clinical days, exams and such in order to reach the end nursing school and to graduate with my BSN and become a nurse. I learned early on in the year how to organize my life using a day planner. It helped me to focus on the tasks that needed to be completed and recognize those sneaky little time wasters that cause me to lose track of time. I learned how to study better too by breaking down my time. I would spend hours reading and not take in any information. I learned how to study efficiently and what I really needed to learn. So let's just say, the check system worked for me. I still use it in everyday life. I'm a list maker. I can't help it. I need to do it.

So what is my word for 2013:
Change
Yup, Change, not money change but a life change.   I will be facing a lot of "change" in my life this year. Sometimes "change" is scary but for me, I'm so used to change that I'm quite comfortable with it and am excited of all the "change" that will be coming my way.

 I will be working as a nurse somewhere soon.  It has been my dream to work as a nurse since I was a young child. I'm so thankful to God that he allowed me the opportunity to go back to school and achieve my education and put me on the path to a new career. I don't have a job yet, I don't know where I will work. I will be applying to hospitals after the New Year. I'm leaving it up to God to where he wants me to be. I have followed his path thus far and he has not steered me wrong.

My daughter will be graduating from high school in the spring and leaving for college in the Fall. I won't say that this has not saddened me because it has. My children are my first priority in life. I feel like I breath because they breath. As scared as I am to let my baby leave the nest it that I know I have done the best that I can as a parent. I, was and still am not a perfect parent but I try to teach my children all that they need to know and still allow them to learn their own lessons. I am confident that I raised a smart young woman that will do wonderful things in her life. She makes me proud everyday. I'm so blessed.

 Oh and let's not forget my life changing decision to take care of me. I need to learn to become healthy and accept the thought of taking care of myself since my career will be about taking care of others and when I'm home I take care of my family. My husband and children gave me a gym membership and fitness classes for Christmas.  How will I ever manage all the big and small changes in my life? I have a feeling a lot of prayers will be done.

Have a safe and Happy New Year!
Many Blessings too!
Jess

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Happy New Year!


           Happy New year!

I'm wishing you all a happy and healthy New Year. I hope that you find what you are looking for, rid what holds you down, and find peace in all you do. 

Wishing you many blessings for 2013

Jess